Why NOW picked itGood for a free day by the sea and for families after hands-on fun. Catch fish and watch the auction by day, stages in the evening. If you want a quiet seaside walk, skip these crowded days.
No ticket needed to wade in, grab a mackerel with your bare hands, bid in a surprise auction and eat it off a wood-fired grill. The 17th Busan Mackerel Festival takes over Songdo Beach from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.
Songdo beach turns into a mackerel playground
Busan's Seo-gu Office throws the festival around Korea's 'national fish'. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism lists it as 10 a.m.–9 p.m. with free admission.
Opening day starts with a street parade at 4 p.m.
From bare-hand catching to a surprise auction
The star activity is catching mackerel by hand in an air pool. It runs Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., 100 people per round, sign-up on site.
The surprise mackerel auction takes place Oct. 31 at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and Nov. 1 at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., 30 minutes each. Wood-fired mackerel grilling runs noon to 6 p.m. on both days.
Dawn fish market and air rockets still have spots
A 6–8 a.m. visit to the Busan Cooperative Fish Market to watch the catch and auction costs 12,000 won and includes breakfast, for 100 people on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
'Fly, Mackerel Rocket!', an air-rocket build-and-launch contest, is 5,000 won per team on Oct. 31. Both were open for sign-up on the official site on Oct. 20; the kayak ride, the new-menu tasting and the paper-boat race were already full.
Stages light up in the evening
On Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. the city-designated intangible heritage Gudeok Mangkkae Sori is performed, followed by the 6 p.m. opening ceremony and a concert with singers Na Sang-do and Baek Su-jeong until 8 p.m.
Oct. 31 evening has a street-dance contest, and on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. DJ Mino leads the EDM party 'Songdo Youth Night'.
Before you go
The venue is Songdo Beach (100 Songdo-haebyeon-ro, Seo-gu). City buses 6, 9, 16 and 61, among others, stop at Songdo Ipgu; buses 7, 26, 30, 71 and 96 stop at Songdo Beach. The City Tour Bus Orange and Green lines also stop at the beach.
Roads nearby get very congested. If you drive, use Songdo Public Parking Lot (579 Amnam-dong, open 24 hours) or the temporary lot at Songdo Ocean Park Plaza. Questions: 070-8658-4085.
